Process for extracting albumin from vegetable substances.



PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906.

F. W. GAERTNER.

PROCESS FOR EXTRAGTING ALBUMIN FROM VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29, 1905.

' siding at Niagara barren strains PATENT FREDERICK G'AERTNER, @F NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK.

I I PRQGESS FOR EXTRACTlNG ALBUMlli FROM l/EGE'E'ABLE SUBSTANCES.

no. erases.

Specification of Letters Fatent.

Patented Feb. 20, 1906.

Applicatibn filed April 29, 1205. has No. 258.004.

1'0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fnnnnnrox W. GAERT- NEE, a subject of the German Emperor, re- Falls, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Processes for Extractin Albumin from Vegetable Substances; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My inventionis a new and economical process for extracting the albumin from vegetable substances by which an increased prod; not is obtained; and it consists, essentially, in mixing the vegetable matter in the form of meal in a warm saline solution at a temperature not above 40 centigrade and maintaining it there for several hoursto dis-' solve out of the vegetable matter the largest possible quantity or thealbumin, then filtering the solution and boiling the filtrate to coagulate the albumin. The coagulated albumin is then filtered out and dried. There'- after it necessary to purify or bleach the coagulated albumin this may be done by treat-' ment with sodium or a. sodium compound by mixing the coagulated albumin with water and adding to the mixture peroxid of sodium and1 some suitable acid, preferably sulfuric aci By observing the effect of salt on various forms of albumin I have discovered that the extraction of pure albumin from various vegetable substancesfor instance, rape-seedmay be effected by a saline solution and the albumin then coagulated-by boiling more economically and with a larger resultant prodnot than has ever before been obtained commercially. The albumin may then be purified by the use of sodium more perfectly and economically, and expensive special machinery.

The preferably raw material is rape-seed cake from which the bulk of the oil has been extracted, as this is a material which gives the largest amount of coagulable albumin of any known vegetable material and also because it is of little value after the oil has been extracted, except as a cattle-food. The rapeseed cake, reduced to the'form of meal or flour, is mixed with several times its own bulk of'water, not substantially less than five nor substantially more than twelve parts of water, and I have found a proportion of not all without the use of alcoholsubstantially less than ten parts of water to one of meal gives a good filtration. Less than about five parts of water gives a thick mushy mixture that is diihcult to filter. In a mixture of five parts of water to one of meal only the natural salts contained in the seed are necessary to obtain the largest amount of albumin coagulable by heat; but as the amount of water is increased above five parts I have found that the amount of albumin obtained is proportionately decreased. 1 therefore add to the solution salt in a percentage of not less than five percent. nor more than twelve per cent. to the amount of water above five parts of water. About seven per cent. of salt to said proportion of water above centigrade. The temperature should not be over 40 centigrade, which would extract-the oil left in the meal, rendering the purification of the albumin more diflicult and also as a minor consideration rendering the remainin waste meal less desirable as a cattle-food. Atter this the albumin is filtered out, boiled to coagulate the albumin, cleaned, dried, and broken orground up into suitable sizes for use.

Generally speaking, it will be found desirable to bleach and to purify the albumin to remove im urities and all taste and odor-for instance, t e usual bitter taste. As b the action of water alone the bitter stu and other impurities are not entirely dissolved and carried 0H, and a protracted action ofwater, especially of hot water, which is neces'-. sary to increase the solubility of said bitter stuff and other impurities, would cause a partial decomposition of the albumin, and as the process of coagulating and purifying the t1- bumin b alcohol in a centrifugal machine which is escribed in my Patent No. 710,190

proved too expensive on account of the high sodium is desirable) in any suitable way-for instance, in a cold or cool solution in a suitable tank, such as is shown in the drawing herewith. The tank should be made entirely of wood with no nails or other iron in its interior to come into contact with the solution.

The tank may desirably be made of clear white. pine, free from knots, in which a filtercloth is sustained clear of the bottom and the Walls, so as to permit the water readily to drain o'if through the waste-hole.

Referring to the. drawing, 1 indicates the tank, suitably reinforced at the corners and edges by posts and strips 2 2 and 3 3. 4 rep-. resents external bolts bracing-the tank. Inside the tank and at a suflicient distance from r the sides and bottom is arranged a lining or effected in the fo lowing way: The vat is filled with clear cold water to a height completelyto cover the albumin to be purified,

peroxid of sodium'is added, and as this'with water alone would produce caustic soda, Na2O2+H2O=2NaOH, (caustic SCdflJ-i- (peroxid of hydrogen,) which would corrode many of the materials and also permit the oxygen, the main factor of the bleaching process, to pass ofl rapidly, it is desirable, first, to mix with the water any suitable acid, preferably sulfuric acid, and then to add the peroxid of sodium insmall quantities, while constantly stirring. The reaction is 'Na,(), H2804 ua so. H202,

; tions; but from one to twe ve pounds of per- Oxid of sodium to one hundred gallons of water are about the limits. The proportion of sulfuric. acid to peroxid of sodium is almost constantt'. 0., about 1.33: 1. As a desirable illustration, in a one-hundred-gallon tank put fifty gallons of water, one hundred and twenty pounds of albumin, about five and onethird pounds ofsulfuric acid, and i four pounds of peroxid of sodium. The albumin is left in the bath from one to twelve result has been reached,

where it is rinsed, whereby the adherent Glauber salt is easily removed, and the albumin, then absolutely pure, is first dried in the centrifugal machine, then completely dried in kilns,'and afterward ground to a fine powder. As the powder ismore or less heated in the grinding application, it is desirable to cool it, as by exposing it to an air-current, before it is packed to avoid a disagreeable moldy taste it sometimes acquires when packed or stored hot.

It will be understood that my process is particularly adapted for the production of a pure vegetable albumin on a commercial scale, and the important new feature of the invention is the use of salt, whereby at a.small expense I obtain at least three to fourper cent.

more of the pure albumin than by any other process which can be practiced commercially. The cost of the salt is very small. Furthermore, by the use of peroxid of sodium or other desirable sodium oxid I thoroughly purify the albumin, obtaining a product Worth one dollar or more per pound, which is desirable to be used alone or mixed with other materials for food, particularly for invalids or undernourished persons.

The advantages of my process are in adecided improvement in economy and simplicity and in obtaining a larger product at a less expense. The cleaning and. bleachin also are more effectively produced. It wil be understood that the extracting and purifying are a continuous process, and in most cases the purifying is essential to obtain a useful material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The process of obtaining purified albumin from vegetable substances, which consists in mixin the vegetable substance in a finely-subdivi ed condition in a warm saline solution and maintaining the substance in the solution for several hours, filtering the mixture, boiling the filtrate to coagulate the albumin, filtering out and drying the albumin, then depositing the albumin in a sub- 1 divided form in a cool bath of water, con- 13 8o 7 fied albumin placed in a centrifugal machine,

erases taining sodium peroxid and a suitable acid, for from one hour to twelve hours, then removin and drying the albumin.

2. T e process of extracting albumin from vegetable substances, which consists in reduc ing the vegetable substance substantially to the form 0 meal, mixing the same in a warm saline solution in the proportion of from seven to ten-parts of the solution to one of the meal, said solution. containing salt in the proportion of about five per cent. to about twelve per cent. of the amount of water in excess of about five parts of water, maintaining the mixture for several hours at a temperature of from about 30 c'entigrade to about 40 centigrade to dissolve out the albumin, then fil tering the mixture, boiling the filtrate to coagulate the albumin, then filtering out and drying the albumin.

3. The process of extracting albumin from vegetable substances, which consists in reducing the vegetable substance to about. the form of meal, mixing the meal in a warm saline solution in the proportion of about one part of meal to about ten parts of water, said solution containing salt in the proportion of about seven per cent. to the amount of water above five parts of water, maintaining the mixture at a temperature of from 30 centigrade to 40 centigrade for five hours more or less,to extract the albumin, then filtering the mixture and boiling the filtrate to coagulate the albumin, then filtering out the co agulated albumin, then drying and breaking up the albumin into suitable sizes.

5. In a process for extracting albumin from vegetable substances the method of purifying and bleaching the albumin, which consists in preparing in a wooden tank a cool solution containing from one to twelve pounds of peroxid of sodium to one hundred gallons of water, sulfuric acid in the proportion of about one and one-third to one part of peroxid of sodium and a small quantity of an alkali, by first mixing the sulfuric acid'with the water, adding the peroxid of sodium in small quantities and stirring it in, adding the alkali in very small quantities and stirring it in, then suspending the albumin in a subdivided form in a filter-cloth in the solution for from one to twelve hours, thoroughly mixing the albumin with the solution, then removing, rinsing and drying the albumin and then grinding it to a fine powder.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, FREDERICK W. GAERTNER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE J. SnUMAoI-IER, A. J. BARR. 

